-1Chapter 11: Guess Who's Back
There were so many thoughts to think that Revan's mind was overloaded. All of the angst and drama he had witnessed left him feeling a little hollow and detached. He staggered into the west dormitory. Passing all the artifact he had plundered from Korriban, there was a empty outfit for a lightsaber.
He pulled out the monoclinic crystal with the diamond eye, the lattice crystal and the only other color crystal he had, blood red. In assembling the lightsaber, he realized it was a morbid affair and what it implied. Securing the various pieces of the lightsaber with care and strapping it to his side, Revan walked to the cockpit. Bastila was at the commands.
"It would be prudent to leave this system immediately."
The Hawk tilted and the thrusters fired, but the hyperdrive did not kick in. Revan put his hand Bastila's shoulder.
"Revan, I'm not doing any of this!" She began to frantically operate the panel. "The controls are locked! We are being pulled on a preset course."
Revan's eyes narrowed.
"Where?"
Bastila looked up in horror.
"The Manaan star."
Revan looked up to see a great glare that nearly blinded him, but even blinded he recognized the sound of a lightsaber igniting. Whirling around he saw Darswa with a dark sickly green saber in one hand which had been the silver head of his cane and a vibroblade in the other which had been the cane itself in a sheath. His smile had not disappeared, if possible, it was wider.
Revan looked up to see a great glare that nearly blinded him, but even blinded he recognized the sound of a lightsaber igniting. Whirling around he saw Darswa with a dark sickly green saber in one hand which had been the silver head of his cane and a vibroblade in the other which had been the cane itself in a sheath. His smile had not disappeared, if possible, it was wider.
"So you are Revan." He said through his smile.
Revan turned to Bastila.
"I'll handle this. Get this ship as far away from that star as possible."
Revan stood up and his lightsabers leaped into his hands and ignited.
"What are you doing Darswa? I thought you were a ambassador?"
Darswa flourished his weapons in a threatening spin.
"A better liar than an ambassador perhaps, but I'll make up for it. I get to kill Lord Revan and if you please, address me as Lord Megalo. The almighty survivor of the Sith."
Revan snickered.
"Neither will you be facing Lord Revan nor are you a Sith Lord."
Megalo's smile faltered like a flame that had met wind.
"You are Revan of the Sith?"
Revan shook his head.
"Formerly. You'll just be killing a gray Jedi of no great importance."
Megalo backed out of the cockpit and into the Astrogation room, shaking his head.
"You're the same man, it does not matter."
Revan's eyes began to dully flicker.
"Would you like to battle Revan, Dark Lord of the Sith?"
Megalo nodded like a hungry kath hound.
Revan reached into his cloak and produced the Falleen mask to Megalo's astonishment and awe. Now flames could be seen blazing Revan's eyes they were eclipsed as the mask was latched into place and the hood of his cloak pulled forward. He slowly gloved his hands and gestured for Megalo to begin. Megalo pitched away the vibroblade after calculating the possibilities of besting Revan at his own form.
Megalo leaped forward into the attack and time froze. Revan marked that Megalo was positioned in an aggressive forward position with his green lightsaber burning over his head. His feet were already off the floor in a leap, most likely an aberration of Juyo.
Revan retreated into a rear defensive stance with his swords raised for a Jar'Kai parry of 1, Liao, the scissor parry. The space was too tight to practice Sokan and he decided against Dun Möch because he didn't want to wreck the inside of the ship. The parry trapped Megalo's downward slice, but he merely inverted the attack into a low stab which was pushed off to the left when Revan's right saber dropped, forcing Megalo to miss his mark. Revan used the opportunity to attack with his left saber, which Megalo dodged and answered by beginning a Jung Ma spin. Revan stepped in and stopped it with the Jar'Kai parry of 3, Lisan, the wall parry, and head-butted Megalo to the floor.
Revan initiated an attack he had developed when he first studied by the light of the Sith holocrons. A devastating series of four over head swings that targeted a grounded opponent. It required a Jung Ma spin, but he couldn't expect such a pitiful sith assassin to counter it from the floor. The first deflected against the green lightsaber the second grazed his face resulting in shiim wound about the left cheek, the third and fourth harmlessly struck the floor. Megalo used the force to recover and right himself quick enough to launch what Revan now remembered Zez-Kai Ell called a Reek charge or a fool's charge. The desperate move. Revan averted the blade with a simple Djem So supinated parry of 2 with his left blade and moved out of the way of the charging Megalo. Revan turned as Megalo had passed him and seared the inside of his right knee, burning through the hamstring.
The Astrogation room began to feel very warm and light was pouring from the cockpit down the hall. Revan knew that Bastila had not yet changed the ship's course. Revan was taken aback when he looked back at Megalo to see the green lightsaber hurtling at him in a spin. Calculating at high speeds, Revan slashed the lightsaber in half, ending the beam. Megalo was no longer in the astrogation room, he had fled. In a touch of Dun Möch, Revan's voice rang out in gurgling hate.
"You must be desperate to sacrifice your weapon."
Silence answered.
Revan stepped into the cargo bay. He stalked around the room but paused in the middle of it. His masked face scanned the room as if looking for something hidden in the air. After a moment his mask focused on space near the supply case.
"You are here. Your hope to hide from me is as realistic as hoping to kill me. But seeing as you chose to believe in both…"
A Durasteel canister flew from across the room and struck something that groaned. Lightening erupted from Revan's outstretched hand. It struck something unseen and then a wounded Megalo collapsed to the floor. Revan centered on the fallen Sith.
"…You will die."
A blast of force slammed and pinned Megalo to the bulkhead while lightening poured out of Revan's hand as if he were filled with it. He ceased, but kept Megalo pinned. A piece of Revan's mind, that had been pushed aside, tugged at him to go check on Bastila and help right the ship, but he couldn't make himself leave the scene. He concentrated on Megalo as his fault line for hate.
"Pain."
Lightening crackled over Megalo as he wrenched against Revan's hold. When the bolt had finished, Megalo's clothes were pouring smoke.
"Plague."
Megalo's extremities began to turn gray and die. He looked down in horror, his eyes wide, his mouth silently screaming in pain. The gray death crawled up his arms withering his limbs and there stopped.
"Perish."
White flames engulfed Megalo's body and a scream was heard over the popping of the flames. When the flames extinguished there was only ashes remaining. Revan felt as if he had donned an old familiar uniform worn so long ago. It felt so powerful and nostalgic. The murderous one-sided duel left him slightly starved for more but his sensibilities rescued him as he remembered the ship. He turned to run for the cockpit when he saw Bastila in the doorway. She was swaying and her eyes looked unfocused. Revan was slightly confused when he remembered what he was wearing.
The Mask.
Bastila tipped, but Revan was there, caught her and cradled her in his arms.
GGUUEESSWWHHOO'SSBBAACCKK
Revan was sitting by Bastila's bed, contemplating. She had sliced the computer and corrected the ship's course while the duel had been fought. There was really no telling how long she had been standing in the doorway. Revan cursed to himself. She should have stayed where she was. Some fool concern for his well being must have entered her mind or perhaps she had sensed what was happening through their bond.
Revan had removed the mask, but after seeing in the med bay mirror what had been behind it since he had put it on, he replaced it. He had to embrace power. But not so much power, he told himself, as the aggression and initiative that his old title lent him.
He saw Bastila stir and twitch. He had to be on his guard, he did not want the wench to catch him unawares. Bastila's motions became more violent until she seized and bolt upright. Upon seeing Revan, Dark Lord of the Sith before her once again, glowering, she began to scramble back against the wall. Her mouth opened in a scream, her bottom lip quavered and her eyes teared.
Revan couldn't help smiling underneath the mask. To inflict such horror was a sure sign of true power, power to save, power to protect, power to kill.
"Stay back!" She commanded in a wavering and falling voice.
"Look at yourself!" The voice gurgled behind the mask. "You are cowering away from me just as the Jedi cower. Such a disposition is not fit for fending off the coming darkness. Look at me, I inspire fear and am not afraid."
"How could you do this to me?" She stammered.
Revan rose in a fury which only made Bastila cower more.
"TO you? I do this for you! It is the only way."
Bastila covered her face with her hands and sobbed into it.
"You have gone mad, Revan. You're insane… There is no threat to the Galaxy except yourself."
Revan raised a placating hand.
"I lied, I am a greedy person and I do this for me and not for you."
Revan reached into the force and felt that cold feeling of dread, like there was something inside the force starring at him, analyzing him for weaknesses. In the background he could feel his tattered bond with Bastila. He shifted the focus of the dread into the path of his bond. In his ear, he could hear horrified screaming and moaning but could not tell the source. He released the force and felt the surroundings of the ship once again.
Bastila was crumpled onto the floor, whimpering. She appeared overwhelmed with emotion. Fear.
"You can't. It will destroy you. That power, such horrible power." She sobbed. Revan's emotion-buffered face stared at her coldly.
"Deal with those who hate with hatred, not pacifism. Otherwise you will become the victim and them the victor. The Jedi have no way to deal with this. It is beyond even their impressive scope."
He advanced towards Bastila, and she regarded him with caution.
"All I've done through our travels have been to strengthen the Republic. The Wookies can be tapped as a possible source of soldiers. Manaan is no longer a dead zone and no longer a planet of contention for Kolto. In time, a synthetic Kolto will be born because of my actions. Korriban is no longer a resource for our enemy. I had originally intended to utilize the Star Forge, but the flaw in that plan was the Jedi counsel."
He raised his fist in frustration.
"Always holding back! There is also another element I set in motion long ago. I had forgotten it and it's a shame as it was my most brilliant plan. I created a being that would be immune to the power you have just witnessed and I have an idea that he will be trained to become quite powerful. He will join me in mortal combat with whatever this force is at the edge of known existence. Only he and I are equipped to meet such a force. I have made sure that the Republic will act as a spillway catching that which we could not stop. I must become the Dark Lord once more and I shall take only that with me. If the other does not join me then I may fall. See that he is found."
Bastila rose with flames in her eyes. A wave of force fueled by anger burst from her, rippling towards Revan, but it hit him and broke like a wave tends to do against a rock.
"You can't go." She whimpered. "I see this new destiny of yours clearer than before. You will be curled into small dark space as the last refuge you know as safe. The darkness will have closed in around you cutting off your air as it devours you alive. There will be no glimmer of hope. No shred of peace or anger will aid you in this place and no one will rescue you as you predict. But that is not where you will be defeated, not in that plane, not on that battlefield. Your defeat is here, now. It is contained in what you are about to do."
Her lightsaber ignited. Revan questioned her seriousness, until, he saw in her eyes, the same flames he had felt in his, moments ago. They had blood and tears in their irises. Her mouth opened and mouthed the word "please".
"Stay." Her voice was anger.
Revan stared her down and shook his head.
"I'm not staying, Bastila, and I would rather have you strike me down now then take you with me."
Her voice returned to her but she could scarcely use it to growl over her own sobs.
"I'll kill you."
Revan opened up his arms as if to say: "Here I am, Bastila. Strike me down."
Bastila threw the double-bladed lightsaber dead aimed at his head, which Revan caught by the middle. He could feel the force trying to tug it out of his hand. He released it and it flew back into Bastila's grip.
Her left hand ran through her hair, which had been freed of it's bun. Her right hand shakily raised in front of her. Bolts blasted from her fingertips and rocketed towards Revan. Revan fell, reeling from the pain. When it had finally had subsided, another blast of lightening blasted. It occurred to Revan that she might kill him, but if she did, then it wouldn't matter. Another blast and Revan's eyesight was fading to black. He could hear Bastila growling in pure anger.
"You won't leave!"
Revan could hear the sound of lightening ripping through the air, he heard himself utter a dying groan and then he was deafened and blinded. But Death felt softer than he remembered. He felt a warm softness enveloping him. He opened his eyes to see Bastila holding him. Her eyes were pouring tears, but there was still that deadly anger.
"Just say you wont go." She sobbed.
Revan felt his lips part, but found that he could no longer form words so he slowly shook his head. She grabbed the sides of his head and stopped them and collapsed around him, hugging him to her tightly. He put his hand on the back of her head and held her close. Revan smiled, but couldn't help think to himself that he should've never told her.